Members of the Community Policing Group (CPG) in Berbice, in commemorating 36 years of its presence in Guyana, were engaged in rigorous Information Technology training recently at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC).
The officers were tutored in the campus laboratory by lecturer Kemuel Gaffar and US-based Guyanese Professor, Joseph Farley.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the three-day training exercise, Director of UGBC, Prof Daizal Samad, lauded the determination of Mr. Rengasammy, the person in charge of the CPG in Berbice and who lobbied for the training at the campus.
“Mr. Rengasammy has a keen sense of protocol, and that is something I admire. I wish that there were more people—our lecturers and students alike—who had such a sense of protocol. As much as we can teach you, never forget that there is much that you may teach us—respect for authority, a sense of protocol, proper behaviour, a sense of decorum, and so on. We can and must learn from each other,” he said.
Prof Samad thanked his lecturers, among them Mr. Kemuel Gafar, Ms. Donniel Dundas, Mr. Joseph Farley from France (here at his own expense), Mr. Carl Merai, and Mr. Daryll Warner.
“These are some of our champions here at UGBC, and they are champions because they are doing what they are doing without being paid for it. It is all voluntary.
“The use of our facilities is free, for it would be very expensive if we were to charge for these sessions. The space, the personnel, the expertise, the frightfully expensive equipment, the electricity, the cleaning before and the cleaning after, the maintenance. All free. All for you.”
Prof Samad encouraged the officers to become knowledgeable in the various technological areas in computing.
“I have no doubt that the skills that you acquire today will serve you in personal ways. You will learn about emails, surfing the net, establishing accounts, and so on. I do not know how great an impact your new skills will have on your professional lives as CPG members.
However, I have before expressed the hope and the optimism that not too long from now, each police station and each police outpost in Guyana will have computers that are connected and that will work with remarkable speed.
This will ensure that there is instant communication between all policing services regarding criminals and criminal activity. Something happens in Orealla, and the protective services will know of it instantly. This is not a pipe dream; we have the technology; all we need to do is to make that technology available and to ensure that those who use that technology know how to use it.”
And in exchange for the free training provided by his campus, what did he ask of the CPG officers? For them to practice what they have learnt in the various communities where they will be stationed.
“We want you to remember and practice what you learnt here through the day. We want you to join hand in hand with the Guyana Police Force to make our nation a much safer one than it is for law-abiding and peaceful citizens.
“This is what we want from you. And when you pass by our campus—which is now your campus—keep an eye out that the campus remains a safe place for our students and our staff. Learn as much as you can, practice as often as you can, and have fun.”
Administrative Officer of UGBC, David Cort, noted that UGBC is a community campus where all kinds of persons are welcome to access the free training offered time and again.
“You may wonder why I say community campus. I say that since UGBC is not only interested in those who are privileged and have met the requirements for entry to this campus, we are also interested in those who have not made the requirements but have made and continue to make valuable contributions to society in their own little way.” (Leon Suseran)